There surely has been a great deal of good from many reading a Bible. “Parents, don’t provoke your children” (Eph. 6:4) aka “Mike, don’t piss your children off unnecessarily” has spared me many conflicts with my kids. They actually visit now that grown. But, there is no denying that misinterpretations have done a lot of damage. For example, many men have interpreted some verses to justify claiming authority over their wives in decision-making.
Why would a loving God possibly bring about the Bible, which reportedly conveys God’s thoughts, knowing literature read by future generations is subject to abuse?
The reality is all writings are subject to misinterpretation by future readers. Not even God can control that. Am I wrong to ever write about what I think God is like? The problem isn’t God or the writer but those who claim their interpretations are right. If we would only consider one another’s opinion gracefully, as long as they don’t violate the freedom of others, so all can freely work out their own convictions with God.
If the Bible is so important, why didn’t God see that everyone had a copy?
The reality is that the majority of those who have been born into this world have never had a copy of the Bible to read. A loving God would never insist on information about God, undiscerning except through the written word, since all don’t have access to a Bible. God has always worked in cooperation with humans than imposing their will. The Bible was God’s attempt to communicate to as many people as possibly what God is really like while not condemning those who misunderstand it or never had a chance to read it.
Actually, the fact that the stories in the Bible have only been told once may reveal there is only one story to tell.
Why didn’t God at least have Jesus or God in flesh come in as many cultures as possible as many times as possible to get out the message? Maybe the fact God came in the flesh one time in history suggest Jesus was who He claimed to be. Real people can only die and come back from the grave once. Maybe there is only one story because there is only one Jesus.
It may be argued that if only God would write guidance in the sky each morning this would remove any confusion.
How did that type of communication work for the Israelites in the OT? Besides, such communications are still subject to misinterpretation. God may have surmised that God’s overpowering presence in our lives could cause consuming guilt or obligation to obey. Obligatory choices don’t always lead to lasting change. God’s lack of interference and visibility may allow the independence need to become more the lasting person we want to be.
The Bible was never meant to be the only means to God but one way to communicate what God is really like.
I suppose we are better off without the Bible when one does not consider their interpretations possibly fallible. We are better off without the Bible when it becomes a rules book and an idol rather than a consideration for wisdom and reflection depending on one’s individual situation. We are better off without the Bible when any belief is considered sacred other than self-discovery about God to become a better person so to make a difference in the world. The Bible can be used to communicate to as many people as possible what God may really be like through Jesus.
What God May Really Be Like - Misbeliefs About God 